The seductive Kunoichi Fuuka is back from the dead! She wants to take revenge on the blond-haired brat who dared to expose her best-kept secret and defeat her in battle years ago. Much has happened since then but the story of the attractive woman, whose beguiling charm had brought many strong opponents to their knees, also continues...

Fuuka's Last Kiss

Chapter IXX - Night - Part I

"I'll suck the life right out of you!" - Fuuka

The Anbu had already gathered at the crossroad of the Root hideout - all the Anbu. They were fewer than Fuuka had expected. She weaved her way through the mass of dark-clad men and women whose faces could not be seen. They all stepped aside without being asked to make room for Fuuka. They knew who she was by now - and respected her. The current leader of the officially disbanded and covert organisation - Fuen - was also present. She was talking to Sai.

"What is the situation? Have they contacted you yet?" the young man asked.

Fuen nodded. Under these shadowy lighting conditions not just her hair seemed to be black but her lips as well.

"Homura and Koharu seem to have kept their end of the bargain."

The two elders of the village were working with Fuen. Despite the strained relationship between them and the Hokage, they were still held in high regard in the village. Naruto could not simply turn them away or ignore them when they wanted to consult him - they had direct access to him. A circumstance that suited Fuen's plans very well. No risky cloak-and-dagger action was needed before the actual operation began to intoxinate Naruto with the poison she had developed for him. Such clandestine operations always carried the risk of being uncovered, foiled and, in the worst case, traced back to her before the final blow - such powerful allies were indeed useful.

"So... did it work?" asked Sai.

Fuen's eyes narrowed.

"Did you doubt the effectiveness of my toxin... did you doubt me?"

Sai broke eye contact with her abruptly. He lowered his head - it almost seemed as if he was ashamed of what he might have implied.

"No, Fuen. I just thought..."

She smiled at him.

"It's all right. Yes it has, my dear. Huhuhu, that boy seems to have been taken care off - one of our spies has already confirmed that."

"I'm surprised they actually did it."

"Why? It was the only thing they could do - otherwise they would have had to live with having no influence about which path the Hidden Leaf would take in the future."

"So you're really planning to let them have the village when this is over?"

Fuen gave Sai a brief but wide smile - one you would give a child who asked a stupid question. Fuuka looked into Fuen's face; she actually appreciated the woman she had known for some time, but at that moment she couldn't stand her obvious arrogance. Then her gaze fell on Sai - her dark blue eyes lingered on him. Something about him struck her as odd. Fuuka had already worked with Sai for some extent at this point, so she felt she knew him and even if his behaviour confused her from time to time - as it did now; in Fuen's presence he seemed strange - quite different from the way she had experienced him during her mission in the Hidden Waterfall Village; he seemed submissive and shy when Fuen was present. Fuuka couldn't help thinking of the 'masks' Sai had spoken about recently - either Fuen had him completely under her control, or he was fooling her.

"Of course not. And I'm almost certain this is what they're assuming too. They may be narrow-minded, but they are not stupid, otherwise they would not have been able to stand up against their enemies for so long and play a major role in determining the village's fate until now. But once we have the Kyubi in our hands, it won't matter. I told them my toxin would kill the monster, huhuhuhuhu."

The woman glanced quickly at Fuuka, who had huddled against the railing and apparently wanted to give the impression that she was following their conversation with impatience and disinterest.

"They have no idea what we are really up to. And from what I can tell, they don't have the slightest suspicion either."

"How long does your toxin's effect last anyway?" asked Fuuka, interpreting Fuen's look as an unspoken invitation to join the conversation.

"Long enough for you to fully absorb the Kyubi's Chakra. And once the monster is sealed in your body, it will not be able to resist you - but we should still lose no time. They don't know anything about us yet - and our intentions. We have the element of surprise on our side - a circumstance to be exploited."

Fuuka straightened up from the red railing she had been leaning against and ran a hand through her hair.

"I can't wait to get back at that brat. He'll wish he'd never met me!"

"I'm afraid he won't get much of your revenge to remind him of his mistake."

Fuuka folded her arms in front of her chest and smiled confidently.

"That's a shame, really, but I'll still have my fun with him - before I take his body!"

"And I'll make sure no one interferes while you do that," Hisame yelled.

The supposedly smartest Ninja of the Hidden Rain entered the scene, closely followed by Sumire. Hisame also folded her arms in front of her chest after leaning against the same red railing.

"You, here? I thought you would stay with Shibuki and help him with his preparations regarding his attack on the border." Sai said.

"I thought so too - turns out he didn't really appreciate my advice. Apparently, he doesn't trust me."

She sighed.

"Well, I can't really blame him either. We both share a... complicated past. Besides, Fuen said my skills might be more useful here."

"Hisame will help you infiltrate the Hokage's estate, Fuuka," Fuen confirmed.

Fuuka lowered her gaze and looked to Hisame. A smug smile graced her lips.

"Well, that didn't really work out the last time, did it?"

Hisame couldn't hide her bitterness when Fuuka alluded to the mission she had failed, namely to infiltrate Shibuki's mansion and pull him to her side, by Fuen's poisoning, if nescessary - and which, in the aftermath, Fuuka managed to successfully end by pulling Shibuki to her side without force, convincing him to change sides - succeeding where Hisame had failed.

"Tzz, the situation is very different now. This time we have the advantage - they have no idea what's coming."

"Fuen-sama!"

An Anbu addressed the black-haired woman and she turned away. Sai took a step towards Hisame while supporting himself with one hand on the railing - Hisame reflexively backed away. One could almost get the impression that she was afraid of him.

"...!"

"I hope you know that what happened between us was nothing personal. I did what I was told to do - and I was in fact told to 'take care' of you."

"I - I understand that. I probably would have acted the same way – it was your mission after all. We're Ninjas - we do what we were told to do."

"I know but... I still want to apologize for that."

Hisame looked at him for a moment, perplexed, then nodded.

"It's - It's okay, I guess."

Fuuka gave him the same confused look - she couldn't make sense of it. Without hesitation, he would have separated her head from her shoulders if Sumire hadn't dissuaded him. In Fuuka's eyes, this guy was a pure mystery. Sumire, on the other hand, closed her eyes and smiled - but her joy at Sai's apology could not hide the fact that she was visibly tense. She played nervously with her hands. Sai leaned forward towards her and gave her a smile that seemed at least as genuine as hers. He put his hand on her shoulder.

"Is everything okay?"

"Y-Yes. I think so."

Fuuka didn't realise she'd been staring open-mouthed at Sai the whole time until he turned to her and looked into her confused face.

"Are you alright too?"

"Huh? Yeah, I..."

"I'll be by Fuen's side throughout the operation - even after she activates the barrier. You'll take care of yourself, right?"

Sai gave her a warm smile.

"I'll be fine."

I'll be fine.

The same words she once said to Fudō before her fate took an unfortunate turn - after Naruto came behind the secret of her hair...

Now that it's come to this...

Fuuka had underestimated the boy back then.

… I'll be taking your body no matter what!

A mistake she will not make a second time.

"All of you!"

Fuen raised her deep voice - and all the Anbu present knelt down and lowered their gaze as they realised their leader was speaking to them. Sai and Sumire did not hesitate to do the same. Only Fuuka and Hisame resisted this peer pressure.

"For a long time we have been working towards this moment - the moment when we will take off our veil and reveal ourselves to the world. We will complete the work that Danzō had once begun - we will restore Konoha, nay, the entire Land of Fire, to its former greatness and strip the people of this land of their illusions of peace with which the Hokage has deceived them. But without destruction there can be no new dawn, without violence no rebirth - we are the fire that will purify this land!"

A loud cry of approval and anticipation - the Anbu simultaneously raised their fists towards the starry sky, which could still be clearly seen even through the inconspicuous, unobtrusive entrance to their Root lair.

Fire...

Fuuka's eyes widened.

Wh - What is this Chakra? Such evil!

The memory of the fox spirit entering her consciousness back when she was about to absorb Naruto's Chakra for the first time still made the blood in her veins freeze. She could not bear the sheer malevolence of this creature as its essence spread like a sea of flames through her mind after some of its Chakra had flowed into her body. She was still clearly afraid of this monster, even after a fraction of his essence had already become a part of her after she had defeated Sora and absorbed his soul. Just thinking about it showed a physical reaction - in pain, she clasped her hand to her forehead, careful not to draw too much attention to herself.

"Tonight we'll make history!" continued Fuen. Another passionate outcry from the crowd.

"Tonight truth will triumph!"